Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Navy and the Pentagon for comment.
Why It Matters
United States military personnel located in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean have faced renewed threats from the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran, for recent attacks in Yemen perpetrated on Houthi strongholds.
Rising Middle East tensions have Houthi leaders publicly telling U.S. President Donald Trump that he entered a “strategic quagmire called Yemen.” However, Trump’s latest ordering of military airstrikes on Monday in response to international shipping lane disruptions in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden follows six weeks of air bombardment, which the U.S. military says has reduced the Houthis’ attack capabilities by more than half.
What To Know
All U.S. service members aboard the USS Harry S. Truman have been accounted for and are safe after a fighter jet, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, fell overboard into the Red Sea, officials said in a statement.
The press release went on to say that the ship lost the Super Hornet, which was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136. A tow tractor also went overboard, and one sailor sustained a minor injury.
Officials say that the F/A-18E was actively being towed in the hangar bay when the crew lost control of the aircraft, after which the jet and tow line went overboard.
Sailors who were towing the aircraft “took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard,” the statement said, adding that an investigation into the incident is underway.
It remains unclear whether the tow is salvageable, due to the area within the Red Sea and depth.
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, which consists of the flagship carrier, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), all remain fully mission capable.
Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Jeffrey Fischer told Newsweek on Monday that incidents like these are “not normal” and “rarely” occur in regions traversed by the Truman.
“I don’t know the circumstances, but if I was forced to guess, I’d look at ops tempo and if deck handlers were being over worked with minimal sleep,” Fischer said. “Truman and Ike [USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier] have been tasked heavily in the Houthi strikes.”
Fischer also said the carrier could have just made a hard turn.
A U.S. official told CNN that initial reports indicated the Truman made a hard turn to evade Houthi attacks.
“If true, that makes sense,” Fischer said. “A carrier in a hard turn can list [lean or tilt] significantly.”
What People Are Saying
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on April 27: “Since March 15, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces have conducted an intense and sustained campaign targeting the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen to restore freedom of navigation and American deterrence. These operations have been executed using detailed and comprehensive intelligence ensuring lethal effects against the Houthis while minimizing risk to civilians.”
What Happens Next
The incident today remains under investigation.
CENTCOM vowed Sunday to “continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region.”
Update 4/28/25, 5:11 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Jeffrey Fischer and additional information.
